Abstract
The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of using an intermittent pneumatic compression boot (IPCB) on muscle recovery parameters after a downhill running (DRP) protocol. The study included 17 physically active men (23.3 ± 2.4 years, 82 ± 14.8 kg, and 173 ± 0.06 cm). The DRP consisted of 6 sets of 5 minutes, interspersed with 2 minutes of rest, with a slope of -3° and intensity corresponding to 70% (10.3 ± 1.1km/h) of peak aerobic speed. One limb was treated with IPCB and the contralateral limb was treated with placebo. IPCB application occurred immediately after, and 24h and 48h after DRP and lasted 30 minutes, with pressure of 100mmHg applied intermittently. The muscle recovery indicators evaluated were perception of delayed muscle soreness (DOMS), muscle quality in the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus lateralis (VL), in addition to concentric and eccentric peak torque (PT) in knee flexors and extensors. Significant interactions between time and treatment were observed only for VL DOMS (F=5.160; P<0.0001; η2p=0.02), indicating a lower perception of DOMS in this region when compared to placebo from 48 hours after DRP. For the other variables, only time effects were identified. We can conclude that the use of IPCB after a DRP was only effective in reducing DOMS in the VL region from 48 hours after DRP. Registered with REBEC (ID RBR-48hdw55)
Description
The use of IPCB was effective in reducing DOMS in the VL 48 h after downhill running.